Silver Lining
by Undercover Duck
Summary: Before, Silver had wondered what made optimists tick. How could they find anything to smile about in this messed up world? But now, Silver thought that even though he still didn't really understand, maybe he was beginning to.


"Vanni, what is this I'm hearing on the news about a black market organization by the name of Team Rocket?"

Giovanni looked up from his paperwork, forcing himself to meet the worried gaze of his wife. She was standing in the doorway to his office, hands on her hips, her steely gray eyes somewhat unreadable. She was upset, yes, and probably angry, but there was something else… Giovanni was usually the man always on top of the situation, and with this new confrontation he found himself feeling the tiniest bit afraid.

When he didn't answer, she invited herself into his office, coming around the desk and peering over his shoulder at the papers he was tending to. "Vivian…" he began with an exasperated roll of his eyes, but she cut him off.

"What is this?" Her voice was quiet, somehow worse than if she'd yelled, as she picked up one of the papers. Giovanni watched in pensive silence as Vivian skimmed the document and turned her metallic gaze on her husband. If she hadn't been upset before, she sure was now. "Giovanni." He flinched slightly—it was amazing how big of a threat his wife could convey in a single word. Her voice had been layered with warning, but on top of that…

Vivian never called him by his actual first name, unless she was very angry. And an angry Vivian had the power to take down the entire operation while it was still learning to walk.

"Vivian," Giovanni tried again, hoping to backpedal, to avoid the argument before it got started. "Please, it's not what you think—"

"Selling Pokémon on the black market for a heap of money is not what I think it is?!" Vivian's voice was rising with every word, crescendoing to a hysterical scream. "You promised! You promised you wouldn't do anything illegal, dangit!" She slammed the paper back onto the desk, mercury eyes flashing. "What has gotten into you?! _What happened?!"_

At a loss for words, Giovanni just stared defiantly back at her, resenting the fact that she dared think she could get in his way. Couldn't she see what he saw? Could she not see the potential? The possibilities? No, she only saw _the law_, and that he was crossing it; she didn't see the benefits.

For a long moment the two just stared at each other, one gaze hard and unyielding and the second wavering and breaking. For the first time, Vivian allowed herself to see who her husband really was. She allowed herself to see the lies, the shady activity, the ruthless leader who really didn't love her as he once did. Needless to say, Vivian did not like what she saw.

And it broke her heart to know that the man she once knew was no longer there.

"Vivian…" Giovanni repeated. She shook her head, tears in her eyes, and fled the room, struggling not to scream, her long scarlet ponytail flying out behind her. Giovanni watched her go helplessly, silently, wondering where, exactly, things had gone so wrong.

Vivian, crying freely as she aimlessly paced their bedroom, was pondering the very same thing.

"Mommy?" Vivian turned, startled, to see her own reflection, miniaturized, staring back at her from the doorway. Of course, it wasn't actually her reflection, but it might as well have been; the boy was certainly the spitting image of his mother.

"Hey, Silv," she greeted, smiling weakly through her tears. As she sat down on the bed, Silver ran over to her, clambering onto her lap as she pulled him into a hug.

"Why're you crying?" the five-year-old mumbled into his mother's shoulder. "Is it Daddy?"

A little taken off guard by his perception, Vivian tightened her hold on Silver, resting her chin atop his head as she murmured, "Yes. But I'll be fine."

The two sat still for a moment in silence, Vivian stroking her son's vibrant red hair as she thought idly to herself that it would probably need to be cut soon—Silver despised getting his hair trimmed, but every time it got almost to his shoulders Vivian would put her foot down, lightly joking that she couldn't have her son looking like a girl.

Her line of thought was interrupted as Silver shifted and pulled away slightly, looking up at her with wide, curious gray eyes that mirrored her own. "Mommy," he inquired quietly, "Why did you name me Silver? Isn't that a color?" Vivian blinked, surprised by the question. When she didn't answer right away, Silver took a guess. "Is it because of my eyes?"

At this Vivian chuckled a little. "No," she admitted, tucking a lock of her son's hair behind his ear. "That's not why, but that's a good guess." Silver didn't comment, continuing to look at her expectantly, waiting for an answer. Vivian sighed, collecting her thoughts for a moment, and when she finally answered, she did with a smile.

"There was this phrase that my mother always said to me," she began. "She said that every cloud has a silver lining."

"What's that mean?" Silver impulsively interrupted. "Clouds are white…"

"Shh," Vivian gently admonished him. "True, clouds are white, but I think what she meant were storm clouds. Storms usually represent disasters or troubling times. Storm clouds are gray and dark. But saying that they have a silver lining, I think that means hope. It means that even during dark times, there's hope that it'll pass."

"I...don't really understand," Silver mumbled, brow furrowed in confusion.

Vivian simply smiled, pulling her son back into a tight hug. "It's okay. You will someday," she whispered.

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x~x~x~x~P0kéDUCK~x~x~x~x

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Now, eleven years later, Silver recalled the conversation as he stood alone in Dragon's Den, leaning over the railing and staring at his reflection in the dark water. He preferred not to look at his reflection most times, as he always saw her instead—and that just brought up painful memories he sometimes would rather keep buried.

He shut his eyes and turned his head away, ashamed at his weakness. Despite his efforts, a few rebellious tears rolled down his cheeks and splashed into the water below. _Dangit,_ he thought, furious with himself, hastily swiping at his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket.

It was certainly ironic—though perhaps fortunate—that he should think on that conversation now. At the moment, he was going through a troubling time in his life. It only partially had to do with being on the run from the police; he was undergoing some crucial changes in his outlook in general. To be honest, it was confusing the heck out of him, suddenly being of two minds about everything. Including that infuriating Rival of his, the one who got him into this mess. But if he was honest with himself, he didn't know whether to be grateful or resentful to her for it.

He pondered over his mother's words, even now struggling to understand their meaning. The turmoil in his life was confusing and frustrating, yes, but… Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing, having his life turning a different direction. Because he was the first to admit that his life had hardly gone anywhere but downhill until now. Perhaps his luck was changing. Perhaps tomorrow _could_ be better. Before, Silver had wondered what made optimists tick. How could they find anything to smile about in this messed up world? But now, Silver thought that even though he still didn't really understand, maybe he was beginning to.

For a moment in time, the first in years, Silver allowed himself to look beyond the dark clouds to see the silver lining. And, into the emptiness of Dragon's Den where no one would ever see it, Silver smiled.

* * *

**A/N: The idea for this fic came out of nowhere. I've lived on the street ****_Silver Cloud_**** for years, and yet it wasn't until last week that it hit me that the name of my favorite Pokémon character is in my street address.**

**Of course, the more interesting part came when I wondered to myself why he was named Silver. 'Cause I don't necessarily buy that stuff about ****_everyone_**** always naming their children for their eye color in the PokéSpe. So I came up with something that held a lot more meaning.**

**Anyway, hope you liked it, and as always, reviews are greatly appreciated! ^-^**


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